Summary

Beer Lovers Fear an Unequal Tax Bite in Wine Country

          France government propose a 160 percent increase tax on bear, this proposal has been faced to the strongly opposition due to two main reasons. First, the 160 percent increase is unacceptable; second, beer is the only target. An excuse from the government is the argument from the public’s health whereas the boost in beer’s tax is expected to reduce the France’s budget deficit. Basing on the government’s forecast, when the new tax policy is approved, the price of a half-pint of ordinary beer by nearly 6 cents while it can reach to 25 to 60 cents to the final consumers, according to brewery and food industry lobbies. This can lead to the downturn in economy. Regardless of the complaints, this policy is more likely to be adopted.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/world/europe/in-france-beer-lovers-chafe-at-tax-increase-plans.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=world

Response#6: Thanks Giving

          Thanks Giving is the second  interesting custom in the Us that I had been experienced so far. At first, I was looking forward to be in this day just because I noticed that I would have 1 week off class, it's awesome haha. But later, I know after Thanks Giving is Black Friday, people could have big promotion because everything is on sale. And go shopping on that day is not only to grab some good deal items but also a kind of tradition in America.
          Honestly, I spent my Thanks Giving dinner with nothing special, I even did not try turkey, I and some friends of mine just gathered and we cooked Vietnamese traditional food haha. But one thing surprised me a lot is that on Thanks Giving day, most of the stores closed. It is similar to the Lunar New Year day in my country.
          Until now, all things I remember about this holiday is about the moment I went to the mall on Black Friday. I love shopping but when I witnessed people were getting in the terrible long long long line, I gave up and decided to go home, stayed in my bed and slept whole day^^.

Response #5 Halloween

          I like this topic because this was the first time I experienced it right in the Us. I used to join a Halloween party before, in my home country, some international universities celebrate this festival but it was quite different from what I went through in last Wednesday night.
          At first, I was surprised by the Halloween atmosphere. By this I mean the way people prepared for it. Pumpkin and weird costumes everywhere. And when I actually attended to the party, I was so shy to dress up in costume but that was the reason why I looked unusual in the crowd. They were all in costumes and they felt free for it. There were various kinds of costumes like movie characters, animals, warriors, clown.......
          Next, I was so interested in the way people painted their faces, they were so creative and so clever with their hands. I witnessed a guy who painted his face and his hair looked exactly like the watermelon. I was so excited. What is more, there were 2 beautiful Japanese girls costumed in police officer uniform, so, it was so fun that every guy who joined that party wanted to be in jail with the 2 female cops. ^^
         For children, I think that they are all eager to be in the Halloween night. Because when they play  "trick or treat" game, they can come home with the full bag of candy.
          If I have a chance to attend the Halloween party next year, I wont be shy to pick my favorite costume to dress up. Halloween is the first traditional custom I was experienced here and it brought me the unforgettable  memory.